


Yellow Raincoat

by LuminousLawliet



Category: Fairy Tail
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-03-30
Updated: 2015-03-30
Packaged: 2018-03-20 08:15:26
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,728
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3643149
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LuminousLawliet/pseuds/LuminousLawliet
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>a missing cat and a rainy day brings two very unlikely people together and sparks the beginning of something beautiful</p>
            </blockquote>





	Yellow Raincoat

“Lucy, look! You’ll never believe what I found!” Levy exclaimed, wiping her muddy boots on the rug of their shared apartment.

“Buy-one-get-one quesadillas at the Taco Shack?” her roommate pondered wistfully. Her stomach growled in unison with her words.

“No,” giggled Levy, unwrapping the bundle in her arms. “Something better.” Wrapped in her cable knit scarf was a slender black cat. The ebony feline blinked twice and yawned, revealing a set of pointy teeth.

“Oh Lev,” Lucy shook her head. “Tell me this is a joke. We can’t eat that.” The cat turned its head sharply and glared at the blonde inquisitively. 

“You were the one who made this about food, not me.” Levy chuckled. “I found this precious fluffball hiding under my car in the office parking lot after work. It was shivering from the rain; just trying to find someplace to stay dry. I couldn’t stand to leave it there in this downpour.” She gently placed the cat on the floor and it immediately began to purr and roll joyfully on the coarse carpet.

“We’re not supposed to have pets in the building,” Lucy gulped. “You don’t wanna face eviction, do you?”

“It’s wearing a collar with a tag on it,” Levy noted, motioning to a shiny speck of metal fastened around the cat’s neck. “It’s late now, but I think we can get by until morning undetected. Then we can try to track down the owner in the morning.”

“They must be worried sick, whoever they are,” Lucy observed. “It’s clear how well-cared for this cat is.” 

Levy bent down and massaged lightly behind the cat’s ears. It responded by purring intensely and flopping on its back. The petite girl examined the tag around the cat’s neck. It was a simple silver piece and almost looked as if someone crafted it by hand. “Lily,” she read. “There’s a phone number here too that I can try to call in the morning.” She smoothed the fur on the cat’s stomach with her fingertips. “Is your name Lily then, little one?” she cooed.

“If it is, the owner must not realize that this cat is clearly male,” shuddered Lucy, pointing between the cat’s hind legs.

“Oh,” Levy gasped, taking a brief glance. “Mister Lily?” The cat licked Levy’s hand.

“Maybe Lily is the owner’s name instead?” Lucy thought aloud. “Anyway, I’m going to bed. You staying up?”

“Yeah, for a little bit,” Levy replied. “I have to find something for him to eat. I thought you were hungry too.”

“Nah, I think it’s just boredom more than anything,” confessed Lucy, walking toward her bedroom. “Please don’t let that cat in my room tonight, okay? He’s cute and all, but we don’t know if he’s housebroken.”

“Got it,” Levy grinned as she rifled through the contents of the refrigerator and began tearing some leftover chicken into small pieces. “I’ll keep him in my room with me with the door closed. If anyone’s stuff gets ruined it’ll be mine. It’s only fair since I brought him here.”

“Also promise me that this will only be for one night,” Lucy continued.

“I promise,” winked Levy, holding up her pinky finger to solidify her words. Lucy nodded and pulled her bedroom door tightly closed.

Levy turned her attention back to the cat, who was sleeping contentedly atop her slippers. “Wake up a minute, little fella,” she said in a high, singsong voice. “You’ve got to be hungry after spending a whole day alone in the rain.” She offered a pile of chicken to him on a paper towel.

The scent of the poultry caused the cat to spring into action. His ears twitched and he lunged for the food, unfortunately sinking his fangs into Levy’s hand in the process. She yelped, reeling from the unexpected jab. 

“Whoa, you okay, Lev?” Lucy said through a yawn, peeking through her door as she held it slightly ajar. She stood ready to close it at any second, worried the cat would dart toward her.

“Just fine,” Levy moaned, violently shaking her wounded hand. Lucy sealed her door again; this time for the remainder of the night. The petite raven-colored cat hung his head repentantly for unintentionally biting the hand that fed him, literally. “I’m not angry, you just surprised me,” she murmured, stroking along the bridge of his nose. The ravenous feline took this as her consent to commence eating and pinned his ears back as he devoured every shred of meat. 

After he had his fill of chicken, Levy lifted him and carried him toward her bedroom. He seemed noticeably heavier after he’d eaten, or maybe her tiredness was causing her to imagine things. She placed the cat at the foot of her bed and let him get comfortable as she brushed her teeth, removed her makeup, and changed into her pajamas. When she returned to her room, the cat had moved to one of her pillows and looked at her lovingly, wide-eyed and purring expectantly. 

“Is this how you sleep with your owner, Mister Lily?” whispered Levy affectionately. “You must really love them.” She crawled into bed and the cat nuzzled her forehead. “They must really love you too, huh?” she expressed, full of guilt at contemplating keeping the cat. “We’ll get you back home tomorrow, don’t you worry…” she sighed, placing her hand on the cat’s back. Lily’s rhythmic purring swiftly lulled her into the deepest sleep she’d had in ages.

\---

The next morning she woke to paws kneading into her back and ribbons of daylight pouring through the curtains. Outside, a gentle drizzle danced on the grass, and the clouds shifted, threatened to be eliminated by sunshine at any moment. Levy slipped out from under the blankets as not to rouse Lily and started her morning routine. Lucy was already long gone, Levy assumed the cabin fever she’d been suffering from had been too much to handle and she’d left to spend her Saturday out with Natsu.

Levy took a longer shower than usual and dressed for the day. Lily met her in the kitchen, purring and rubbing against her leg while she attempted to cook and subsequently burned an omelet. She settled on frozen waffles, and dropped scraps of chicken on the floor to Lily to eat as she chewed her breakfast. Her stomach hurt with the anxiety of knowing she’d have to call the owner today and give the little cat up for good. It had been less than twenty four hours since she found him, but she was already irreversibly attached. “It’s the right thing to do,” she continuously repeated to herself. “What if it’s a lonely old lady or something? What if this cat is the only family she has? Would you really feel right taking that away from her?” she questioned herself out loud.

Once she collected herself she fiddled with her cell phone, dialing the number inscribed on Lily’s collar one digit at a time as slowly as possible. It rang for what seemed like forever, causing her to ponder whether the number was even valid.

“…Hello?” a baffled voice eventually said from the other end of the line. Levy jumped. The voice was deep and resonant, powerful and masculine. “Hello?” the voice asked again with slightly more gusto.

“Yes hello, h-hello hello?” Levy sputtered. “I found this cat, uh, I found this number on this cat. Um. Is this your cat?!” 

“You f-found my cat?!” stuttered the mystery man on the phone. “My cat! Oh my gosh! Thank you! Thank you!”

“So, um, do I have the right number?” Levy inquired, rubbing her toes against the floor nervously. “This black cat is yours?”

“Yes, I was so worried!” the man exclaimed, it almost sounded tearful. “I have to come get him!” Then came an abrupt click. Levy removed the phone from her ear and stared at the blank screen. Had the call dropped, or had the man hung up on her in his excitement?

“What do I do now?” she thought. “Do I call him back? I feel really stupid now.” She could feel her cheeks burning with embarrassment but couldn’t for the life of her figure out why. Before she could give it much more thought the sound of her phone ringing permeated the awkward silence. She nearly jumped out of her skin as she answered. 

“Hello?” she rasped into the receiver.

“Hey,” said the man, sounding much calmer now. “I should probably find out how exactly to find you before I go hanging up the phone, huh?” he chuckled heartily. “I’m sorry, ma’am. It’s just that he’s been missing for three days and I had thought the worst.” He sniffled a little, like he was either recovering from a cold or had been crying a lot.

“Oh, that’s okay,” Levy replied apprehensively. “I found him late last night. Can I meet you somewhere so I can return him to you?” She eyed Lily tenderly and her pink lips curled into a frown at the thought of saying goodbye.

“Do you know where that little café is in town, The Fairy’s Tail?” the man asked.

“Sure do,” responded Levy. “It’s close to my office.”

“Would you be able to meet me there around two?”

“That shouldn’t be a problem.”

“Okay, great!” he cheered. “How will I know to recognize you?”

Levy glanced at her coat hanging on the rack by the door. “I’ll be in a yellow raincoat, and I’ll most likely be the only person with a black cat in her arms.” 

“Yellow raincoat,” he noted, laughing slightly. “Got it.”

\--- 

“I wish I had a cat carrier or something simpler than just throwing you in my backseat like this,” Levy groaned as she loaded Lily into her tiny sports car. “Please, please don’t use my floor mats as a litter box. This will be a short trip, okay?” The cat cocked his head as if he was trying to process what she was telling him. He blinked and purred a wet, jolly purr.

Levy hit nearly every red light on her drive into town. At 1:59 exactly she pulled into the parking lot of The Fairy’s Tail, a hole-in-the-wall type café popular with many of the town’s residents. It had been around as long as she could remember. Lucy frequented this place, but Levy herself had never visited. She tugged at the buttons on her raincoat and scooped a still-purring Lily into her arms. “I wonder if they even allow cats in this place,” she thought.

She pushed open the heavy oak doors of the café and was greeted by grating pop music and lively conversation. No one looked at her strangely or seemed to even notice the furry friend she snuggled close to her chest, until she was approached by a tall, muscular young man with a very familiar voice.

“Hi there, yellow raincoat,” he grinned widely. “Though that probably isn’t your real name, is it?” Lily mewed ecstatically and leapt from Levy’s arms toward the man before her. He caught the cat and held him close. “Thanks for finding him for me. It looks like you took great care of him. I owe you for that.” 

Levy studied the peculiar man jubilantly hugging the tiny animal in his large arms. He wore a leather jacket covered with straps and spikes and his long, black hair was pulled into a high ponytail. The curves of his ears and sides of his nose were dotted with simple silver piercings. He looked fiercely intimidating but there seemed to be a certain softness behind his rugged exterior. Levy gulped audibly. He was certainly attractive, in his own unique way.

“You, ah, you don’t owe me anything,” she muttered. “It was nice having a cat, even if it was just for a while.”

The man’s dark eyes widened with enthusiasm. “You like cats too?!” 

“I’ve never had my own. I always wanted one though.”

The conversation went quiet for a moment while the young man relished his reunion with Lily. Finally, he cleared his throat. “Sorry, I’ve been so rude not to introduce myself in all the excitement. The name’s Gajeel. Gajeel Redfox.”

“Gajeel,” Levy repeated. She liked the way his name felt rolling off her tongue. “I’m Levy McGarden. It’s nice to meet you.”

“Hey, you’re really short, aren’t you, shrimp?” Gajeel snickered.

“Well that came out of nowhere!” Levy yipped, blushing now. “Maybe it’s just because you’re so insanely tall!”

“Gihihihi,” Gajeel guffawed vigorously. It was the oddest laugh Levy had ever heard. “Ya got me there, Levy. Maybe that is the problem.” Levy wondered if he could hear her heart pounding in her chest as loudly as she could.

“Anyway, I’m happy I could help you get your cat back,” Levy said bluntly.

“Lily is the only family I have,” Gajeel said, now much more soft-spoken than before. “I don’t know what I’d do without him.”

“So his name really is Lily?” Levy mused. “I have to admit I was confused by that from the get-go.”

“It’s short for Pantherlily,” Gajeel clarified. “Long story short, a family brought him in to the animal shelter where I work. They couldn’t afford to take care of him and so I took him. The little girl had already named him Lily and couldn’t be swayed into changing it.”

“Not old enough to understand kitty anatomy?” Levy quipped. 

“Not at all,” chortled Gajeel, running his fingers through his ponytail. “When I adopted him, I kept the ‘Lily’ in his name as a tribute to his original owner.”

“He’s a lucky cat,” Levy smiled, nodding toward Lily, who was now asleep in Gajeel’s arms. “A lot of people have gotten a chance to love him.”

“Sometimes I wonder if I’m the lucky one,” Gajeel contemplated. “He’s been an incredible companion. The thought that I’d lost him tore me up inside.”

Levy could feel tears welling up, knowing she had done the right thing by returning the cat to his rightful owner after seeing just how much he meant to him. “I gotta say I’ll really miss him. I was seriously beginning to get attached.” She started to turn away, attempting to leave before the tears began to flow but Gajeel caught her by the wrist and she stopped dead in her tracks.

“Wait,” he said kindly, looking her in the eye. “You can see him again if you want to. I think ‘ol Lily’d miss you if you didn’t visit sometime.”

“Oh,” Levy blushed. “Really?”

“What about next Saturday?” Gajeel proposed. “Are you free then? I, uh, wouldn’t mind seeing you again either, shrimp.” 

“Sounds like a plan,” Levy replied. She made a point not to use the word “date.” 

“We already have each other’s phone numbers,” chuckled Gajeel, “so I’ll call you sometime during the week and we’ll plan something. Okay?”

“I really like that idea,” Levy blushed. “I’ll talk to you soon?” She leaned forward and patted Lily on the head one last time before turning to exit the café.

“Soon,” Gajeel reiterated. “Thanks again, Levy. For everything.”

\---

Levy simply smiled and made every effort not to trip over her own feet as she walked to her car. She sat in the parking lot for a good ten minutes gathering her thoughts. She sang along with the radio on the drive home. She skipped through the puddles while walking toward the door of her apartment. When she entered, she found Lucy on the couch with a tub of ice cream.

“How was Natsu?” Levy said, hanging her raincoat back on the rack.

“Not bad,” Lucy replied, taking in a spoonful of rocky road. “Rambunctious as usual. We had lunch at The Fairy’s Tail then he went to play hockey with Gray.” 

“You were there too?” Levy blushed, worried Lucy had seen her there babbling incoherently in Gajeel’s presence.

“You finally went there?” asked Lucy. “I’ve been trying to get you to go there for years!”

“Yeah, just to return that cat,” Levy explained. “I didn’t stay and eat or anything.” 

“I couldn’t have if I wanted to,” she thought. “Not with how flustered I felt!”

“Aw, I bet you’re sad about that,” Lucy pouted. “You seemed attached to Mister Lily.”

“I’ll see him again,” Levy murmured, feeling the rosy heat burning in her cheeks. “I have a date with his owner next week!”


End file.
